Designer studio for handloom inaugurated

Kannur, Nov 20 (UNI) India's first modern designer studio for textiles was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh here today.

The studio has been set up by the Kerala Textile Export Organisation (KTEO) in association with the Handloom Export Promotion Council, Chennai, and the Union Ministry of Commerce.

It is the first ever designer studio being developed under a cluster involving all hanloom and textile players in the district including weavers' cooperative societies. The studio would equip handloom exporters and weavers' societies to conceive designs according to international trends.

The Minister assured Rs 80 lakh for an integrated textile park in Kannur. He also assured a permanent place for Kannur textiles products in the '' Expo Mart'' in Greater Noida set up by the Export Council of India to help both domestic and foreign consumers.

Kannur contributs 12 per cent of India's total handloom products export. Some connectivity problem faced by the textile town for international markets would be solved through the Expos.

Funds totalling Rs two crore has been allotted to 20 clusters, including Kannur. Another 100 clusters were being identified, he said.

Mr Ramesh said the second designer studio would be set up at Erode in Tamil Nadu and the third in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.